England v Republic of Ireland
UEFA Nations League
League B, Group 2 fixture 
5pm GMT, Sunday 17 November 2024
Wembley Stadium connected by EE

Lee Carsley and Harry Kane faced the press on Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s Nations league clash with Republic of Ireland at Wembley.

The England interim head coach and captain discussed the threat posed by Sunday’s visitors, what it would mean to seal Nations League promotion and much more.

Here is what they had to say in full.

Carsley on managing England since September:

It’s a great role, it’s been a brilliant experience. At times it’s been tough but that has been outweighed by nights like the other night. You always question whether you can do it and we’ve been out of our comfort zone. Our focus is on tomorrow now and that’s my priority, making sure we get the job done. We’re respectful of Ireland and the strengths that they have.

On what promotion would mean:

I try and look beyond myself. It’s important for the longer term and the best thing for us is to get promotion. That sets us up for what’s next. It will be beneficial for the players if they can do well tomorrow. Their application and how they’ve committed has been very good.

On the challenge ahead for the young players he has introduced:

The challenge is to stay there now. It’s a tough squad to get into and they’ve put themselves in the picture. It’s good for Thomas [Tuchel, who takes charge on January 1] that the pool has increased. I’ve seen them up close. I know what they’re capable of and they’ve got the mentality to compete. There are so many quality players, the competition is extreme, and they’ve got to stay in the race.

We’re live with @HKane and Lee Carsley at @SpursOfficial’s training ground to look ahead to Republic of Ireland 🚨 https://t.co/E2mPPtpiAX

— England (@England) November 16, 2024

On whether Kane will play:

Harry is definitely playing tomorrow. He brings goals but a lot more too. He has leadership skills, he is a good guy and he sets a crucial example to the young guys. I’m looking forward to seeing him play well tomorrow. He brings something different to Ollie Watkins and it’s important we play to his strengths.

On what he expects from Ireland:

They’re getting better. We’ve watched all their games and the new coach is putting his spin on the team. Evan Ferguson is a player we know a lot about and our centre-backs will watch all of the clips.

Kane on being a sub against Greece:

It’s not the first time I’ve been a sub for England. I always want to start every game but that’s not always possible, we’re in a tough stage of the season, and whenever called upon I’ll give my best. The team played really well and it was an important win, which sets us up for tomorrow.

Kane on the England culture:

Whoever is in the squad is the most important thing and players have had a great opportunity this week. There will always be players injured, in and out, and a big part of international football is players coming in and making a difference. It’s down to me, Kyle Walker, Jordan Pickford and the other ones to build a culture. We don’t want to lose that as more young players come into the squad. We want to build that up to the 2026 summer. It takes a long time to build and maybe not so long to lose but we’re well aware of that. We’ve had some really good tournaments and we want to share those experiences and step by step we’ll help the lads understand what we’re going to be going into.

Locked in 🔐 pic.twitter.com/YSc5KKpJgy

— England (@England) November 16, 2024

Head to head

The Three Lions have played Republic of Ireland at men's senior level on 18 occasions, registering seven wins, drawing nine and losing twice.

Last four meetings v Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland 0-2 England, UEFA Nations League, 7 September 2024

First-half goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish ensured victory for the Three Lions in Dublin in their opening game of the UEFA Nations League 2024-24. It was the first game under interim head coach Lee Carsley.

England 3-0 Republic of Ireland, International Match, 12 November 2020

The Three Lions ran out as convincing winners last time out as international football re-started following the COVID-19 pandemic. Goals from Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealed victory on this occasion in a game which saw Jude Bellingham make his senior debut at the age of 17 years and 136 days.

 
Republic of Ireland 0-0 England, International Match, 7 June 2015

A first-ever trip to the new Aviva Stadium in Dublin ended in a goal-less draw as both teams played in a friendly in the midst of their EURO 2016 qualifying campaign.

England 1-1 Republic of Ireland, International Match, 29 May 2013

A match which was hosted at Wembley as part of the FA's 150th anniversary celebrations turned out to be a competitive affair, with Shane Long's opening goal cancelled out by Frank Lampard.

England Squad News

Ticket Information

 

Where can I watch or stream England v Ireland?

Lee Carsley has made three changes to his starting XI for this evening's Nations League clash with Republic of Ireland at Wembley.

Harry Kane returns to the side as captain, Tino Livramento makes his senior debut, and Lewis Hall is handed his first Three Lions start as Carsley's side aim for the victory that will see them confirm promotion from their group.

England: 1 Jordan Pickford (Everton), 2 Kyle Walker (Manchester City), 4 Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), 6 Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), 9 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), 10 Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), 11 Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), 12 Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), 14 Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), 17 Curtis Jones (Liverpool), 23 Noni Madueke (Chelsea)

Substitutes: 3 Rico Lewis (Manchester City), 7 Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), 8 Angel Gomes (Lille), 13 Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), 15 Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), 16 Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton), 18 Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), 19 Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), 20 Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), 21 Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur), 22 James Trafford (Burnley)

Your #ThreeLions XI! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/at8V2oUzYX

— England (@England) November 17, 2024

Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were all on the scoresheet as England comfortably dispatched ten-man Ireland at Wembley.

Kane broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 51st minute, with a coolly dispatched penalty after Lewis Scales' sending off in Lee Carsley's final game as interim head coach.

Gordon then deservedly doubled England's lead two minutes later with an emphatic finish for his first goal in a Three Lions shirt.

Gallagher then registered England's third when he stretched to convert Marc Guéhi's header into the visitors' net after 58 minutes before Bowen added England's fourth not long after coming on from the bench in the 75th minute and then fellow substitute Harwood-Bellis capped a memorable debut with a header just moments later.

England enjoyed the lion's share of possession early on, patiently probing for a way past an organised Irish defence.

Noni Madueke would eventually deliver England's first threatening chance after artfully dancing through a sea of Irish shirts to cross from out wide.

His delivery was deflected into the path of Curtis Jones, who then saw his effort turned behind by Caoimhin Kelleher.

The resultant corner saw Kyle Walker come close to breaking the deadlock, only for his header to sail over the crossbar. Moments later, Jude Bellingham looked to catch Guéhi's lofted pass, only for the ball to evade the Real Madrid star.

Bellingham would be at the centre of action shorty after with an incisive pass through to Madueke before combining with the speedster to have an effort at goal, though his attempt would be blocked.

A rare Irish venture forward saw Sammie Szmodics find some purchase in the English half, though any ambitions of testing Jordan Pickford were soon smothered by a resilient Three Lions rearguard.

Backed by a vociferous Wembley, England sought to make more in-roads into the other half, with Lewis Hall's low cross cleared away.

The Newcastle fullback would then combine with his club teammate Gordon down the left to find Madueke, though the fleet-footed winger would be unable to get a shot off in what would prove to be the last footballing action of the first-half.

The second-half began with Ireland's Liam Scales receiving his marching orders after a second yellow card for catching Bellingham in the box.

Captain Kane duly converted the ensuing penalty, with his effort comfortably nestled in the back of the net to open the floodgates.

Just two minutes later, the visitors failed to clear their lines from a Tino Livramento cross, providing Gordon ample opportunity to claim his first goal for England with a right-footed volley.

A lack of concentration from Ireland was on-hand once more not long after, with Gallagher expertly taking advantage to prod home from close range.

Substitute Bowen would then curl in England's fourth in the 75th minute before debutant Harwood-Bellis capped off a memorable night in Wembley to help secure England all three points and promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League in convincing fashion.

England: 1 Jordan Pickford (Everton), 2 Kyle Walker (Manchester City), 4 Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), 6 Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), 9 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), 10 Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), 11 Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), 12 Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), 14 Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), 17 Curtis Jones (Liverpool), 23 Noni Madueke (Chelsea)

Substitutes: 16 Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) for Walker 62', 19 Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) for Gordon 75', 20 Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United) for Madueke 75' 21 Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur) for Gallagher 75', 8 Angel Gomes (Lille) for Jones 78'

Subs not used: 13 Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) 22 James Trafford (Burnley) 3 Rico Lewis (Manchester City) 7 Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) 15 Jarell Quansah (Liverpool) 18 Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Goals: Kane 51', Gordon 53', Gallagher 58', Bowen 75', Harwood-Bellis 79'

Interim head coach: Lee Carsley

Republic of Ireland: 1 Caoimhin Kelleher, 3 Callum O'Dowda, 4 Dara O'Shea, 5 Liam Scales, 6 Josh Cullen, 7 Sammie Szmodics, 8 Jayson Molumby, 9 Evan Ferguson, 20 Mark McGuinness, 21 Festy Ebosele, 22 Nathan Collins

Substitutes: 14 Finn Azaz for O'Dowda 67', 15 Ryan Manning for Ebosele 67', 10 Troy Parrott for Ferguson 67', 13 Andrew Moran for Cullen 76', 18 Kasey McAteer for Szmodics 85'

Subs not used: 16 Max O'Leary, 23 Mark Travers, 2 Matt Doherty, 11 Mikey Johnston, 12 Jake O'Brien, 17 Conor Coventry, 19 Thomas Cannon

Coach: Heimir Hallgrímsson